I chose to complete a Service Scholars Capstone for my University Honors capstone requirement. My service project was to bring a philanthropic goal to the Honors Housing Community (HHC) by partnering with the Brazos Valley Food Bank. As a part of the Junior Advisor (JA) team for the HHC we decided to partake in a year long food drive by placing donation bins throughout the dorm and go volunteer in person once a month at the BVFB. The goal of the project was to take our small community in the HHC and give back to the larger Brazos Valley community that supports us for 8 months out of the year.
While completing this project, I worked closely with my capstone advisor, who is also the HHC coordinator, by updating him on progress and upcoming events during weekly meetings. Working together, my advisor along with the current JA team, have left a precedent of philanthropy and having a philanthropic focus in the HHC. Through this program I was able to hone my communication skills and have learned how to adapt to adverse situations. Throughout the year we noticed that the food drive was not as successful as we had hoped, so as a team we made the decision to focus on the in person volunteer days, as these are where the students go to go out and physically see the impact they were leaving in their community. This helped shape my service style because I had more of a behind the scenes role in organizing the service whereas the freshmen in the community had the hands on service experience. I learned about the logistics of organizing a large event and making sure that everything was in place so that others could help give back.
The capstone program has given me the opportunity to give back to my community in way that I did not think was possible at the beginning of my time at Texas A&M. This program truly allows for self reflection and self growth not just academically, but as a leader and as a human being. In my future field of physical therapy, service and the willingness to help others is what drive the profession. My capstone has helped to prepare me for this service lifestyle, while allowing me to independently dive deeper into this aspect of my career.